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Moving Chemistry Education into 3D: A Tetrahedral Metaphor for Understanding Chemistry. Union Carbide Award for Chemical Education

Citing Articles

Peter Mahaffy

Department of Chemistry, The King''s University College, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 2H3

J. Chem. Educ., 2006, 83 (1), p 49

DOI: 10.1021/ed083p49

Publication Date (Web): January 1, 2006

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The triangle of thinking levels that has become the dominant metaphor for chemistry education has served us well. As that metaphor reminds us, students need to encounter chemistry at the macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic levels to make sense of the molecular world. Yet concerns about public understanding of and trust in chemistry, coupled with the need to continue to attract students into the profession, underscore the importance of framing chemistry education in new ways. This article proposes a new conceptual metaphor to enrich our description of chemistry education and support the many existing efforts to help students make connections with the chemistry found in textbooks. It proposes a metaphorical rehybridization of that triangle of thinking levels into a tetrahedron, where the fourth vertex represents the web of human contexts for chemistry. Tetrahedral chemistry education may reenergize learning inside and beyond the classroom by (i) providing a framework for curriculum reform, (ii) focusing on the processes of science, (iii) "discovering" the history and philosophy of chemistry, (iv) building trust in and public understanding of chemistry, and (v) reaching across cultures.

Keywords (Audience):

First-Year Undergraduate / General

Keywords (Domain):

Curriculum

Keywords (Feature):

Award Address

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Communication / Writing

Keywords (Subject):

Applications of Chemistry

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Citing Articles

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This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

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  Chris D Ling and Adam J Bridgeman
  Journal of Chemical Education2011 Article ASAP
  Titration experiments are ideal for generating large data sets for use in quantitative-analysis activities that are meaningful and transparent to general chemistry students. We report the successful implementation of a sophisticated quantitative exercise ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
A Treasure Hunt for Chemistry
Adam J. Bridgeman, Peter J. Rutledge, and Matthew H. Todd , Ricky Connor
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- A Treasure Hunt for Chemistry
  Adam J. Bridgeman, Peter J. Rutledge, and Matthew H. Todd , Ricky Connor
  Journal of Chemical Education2011 88 (4), 437-439
  A new group educational activity based on a treasure hunt is described. Students are asked questions and the answers specify a grid on a map. A specified object in the grid location must be found and photographed, and the photograph submitted ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links